Boot Camp

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A 16-year-old who killed his mother's boyfriend two years ago is headed to prison, WSBT-TV reported Wednesday. Josh Smith, of Stevensville, had been sentenced to probation and "boot camp" for the beating death of David Loveland in 2010. He was 15 at the time. But in February of this year, Smith was charged with stealing a credit card and using it. He pleaded guilty in that case. Because Smith violated his probation, a judge sentenced the teen to two to 15 years in prison for manslaughter in the Loveland death.

NILES -- Did poor legal advice prompt former Niles police officer Ivery Cross III to accept a plea bargain stemming from his admitted sexual assault of 19-year-old male inmate at the Niles Law Enforcement Complex? Or did his attorney, Andrew Burch, make him fully aware of the consequences before Cross committed to the agreement last year? It'll be up to Berrien County Trial Court Judge Scott Schofield to ultimately rule on the issue. He presided at a hearing Thursday in which Cross, who Schofield sentenced last May to a five- to 15-year prison term, asked to withdraw his guilty plea to three counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct and one of misconduct of office.

CASSOPOLIS - A few years ago, Harley Jackson, of Niles, spotted a robbery in progress and, according to his attorney, James Miller, went above and beyond what many people would do by giving pursuit. “He followed in his car. He was shot at," Miller said Friday in Cass County Circuit Court. “He put his own life at risk. " Cass Prosecutor Victor Fitz also complimented Jackson, pointing out he was a “courageous witness" in the case. But on Friday, Jackson, 31, whom Fitz characterized as “a pleasant man," found himself in the same court-room where he had testified in the robbery, awaiting sen-tencing on charges stemming from a methamphetamine lab he admitted to operating on Hoyt Road.

NILES -- A Niles man will spend the next 15 years in prison for sexually molesting a 6-year-old boy. During his sentencing this week Berrien County Trial Judge Scott Schofield told Michael Wayne Lewis that he deserves "every moment" for what he did to his young victim. Lewis, 61, of Broadway in Niles, was sentenced to two concurrent 15-year prison terms after pleading guilty to one count of second-degree and one count of third-degree criminal sexual conduct as well as being a habitual offender.

ELKHART - The Elkhart County Chapter of the American Red Cross will hold a “Boot Camp” on Saturday for new volunteers who want to join a disaster relief operation anywhere in the country. The training, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., will be at the chapter office, 721 Riverview Ave. Call 574-293-6519.

Two local teens confidently fielded questions from students around the world about their experiences aboard the R/V Nautilus in a webcast Tuesday. They spoke from the Mediterranean Sea, where the Nautilus' world-renowned scientists and oceanographers are conducting research. For Devyn Jackson, 14, of Granger, and TaShawn Reese, 16, of South Bend, this experience is just one part of a two-year internship with the Jason Project, an exploration-based science program that links students in classrooms to scientists in the field.

exploration," said Laura Batt, the Immersion Learning director of programs. She said both teens had been in the ocean exploration program, and eventually they joined an ROV (remotely operated vehicle) team competition two years ago. Their team won the regionals in Chicago and advanced to the Marine Advanced Technology Education's international competition. It sparked an interest in the teens, so she suggested they apply to the Jason Project. They did. It wasn't easy. Lois Jackson, Devyn's mother, explained that the teens had to write several essays and submit a video.